CutSupreme93 Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 I understand that this upgrade is to upgrade to bigger wires from the alternator to the battery +, the battery -, to the chassis, and the chassis to the block. has anyone done this to a LQ1 if so where did you ground the chassis to the block? do you still leave the original connector on the back of the alternator connected along with the upgraded wire? would it benefit to upgrade the wire to the AUX post? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jman093 Posted May 19, 2010 Report Share Posted May 19, 2010 You might PM Paul, user name pwmin, I'm pretty sure he did this to my car when he owned it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwmin Posted May 19, 2010 Report Share Posted May 19, 2010 (edited) You might PM Paul, user name pwmin, I'm pretty sure he did this to my car when he owned it. I did. I think I made a post, so I'll look for it. edit: I did it to the '96, but I actually didn't upgrade the alt to battery wire. I did on the '91, though. I can't find any writeups or anything i did, so when I have more time, I'll try and recall everything. Edited May 19, 2010 by pwmin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremerevolution Posted May 19, 2010 Report Share Posted May 19, 2010 (edited) This should be the same as with any car. Get a roll of 4 or 2 Gauge thin strand wire (12 feet should do it), get some suitable terminals off ebay, cut, crimp, etc. Just trace the wires to wherever they go. I believe in my car, I replaced 4 wires. The battery to accessory fuse block, battery to chassis, battery to block, and battery to starter. Edited May 19, 2010 by xtremerevolution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSI_MuNkY Posted May 19, 2010 Report Share Posted May 19, 2010 Go with 2 gauge, 4 gauge is exactly the same as what is in the car now... I will post a pic later comparing the 2 because I bought 4ga for my swap Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSI_MuNkY Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Here is a comparison of the 4ga I got and the stock wire... In the end I ended up going to my 1ga for the Big 3 upgrade and I am using 1/0 for the battery relocation to the trunk. All welding cable, it has a thicker sheathing. Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 even though i could probably look it up, does the LQ1 send power from the alt down to the starter terminal like the L82 does? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSI_MuNkY Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 (edited) I have no idea, lol, I haven't done the swap yet, all the wire is still hanging on the wall in my garage. I hope to be doing the swap in the next coupe weeks depending on my work situation. Jamie Edited May 20, 2010 by CSI_MuNkY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremerevolution Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Holy crap. Can you say overkill? The only reason why I'm using such heavy cable (1/0 thin strand for car audio) is because I'm pulling 1600W on the mono amp, and I have two dedicated amps for the stereo speakers. The reason why I chose the wiring I did was because its flexible. I can't stand working with stiff heavy gauge wiring. Its a huge pain in the ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSI_MuNkY Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 The 1/0 is for the battery relocation... When you pay what I pay, overkill means sweet dick all... in the store around here 1/0 is about $4.50 per foot, I paid a hair over $2 a foot. That and I don't know what I will be running for subs and amps down the road, and I am upgrading my alt to a 140 amp, just in case. Overkill again? yes, but its cheaper than buying an OEM replacement from Canadian Tire or Napa. Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremerevolution Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 The 1/0 is for the battery relocation... When you pay what I pay, overkill means sweet dick all... in the store around here 1/0 is about $4.50 per foot, I paid a hair over $2 a foot. That and I don't know what I will be running for subs and amps down the road, and I am upgrading my alt to a 140 amp, just in case. Overkill again? yes, but its cheaper than buying an OEM replacement from Canadian Tire or Napa. Jamie Good point. Mind if I ask why you're relocating the battery? I've thought about it a few times just to make more room for a proper FWI, but never really did anything. Have fun with that alt. I wonder if I can find a 140 amp for my car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwmin Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 this is the only thread i could find about it. Not sure if it'll help or not, though. http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/29245-question-about-big-3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSI_MuNkY Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 Good point. Mind if I ask why you're relocating the battery? I've thought about it a few times just to make more room for a proper FWI, but never really did anything. Have fun with that alt. I wonder if I can find a 140 amp for my car... Mostly just for the FWI, but if I end up working with this cars shell then I will need the extra room for a turbo in the upcoming year or so. This is the company that does the 140 Amp for the LQ1. They also do a 170amp, but that is just too much over kill, even for me. http://www.alternatorparts.com/cs130-cs130d-series-alternators.htm Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwmin Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 Mostly just for the FWI, but if I end up working with this cars shell then I will need the extra room for a turbo in the upcoming year or so. This is the company that does the 140 Amp for the LQ1. They also do a 170amp, but that is just too much over kill, even for me. http://www.alternatorparts.com/cs130-cs130d-series-alternators.htm Jamie I got my higher amperage alt for the DOHC from mralternator.com (160A) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscar_wilde Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 I don't want to sound dumb, but what does this upgrade do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSI_MuNkY Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 The larger wire comes with a lower resistance per foot, making for better connections throughout the car, especially in the charging and starting system. Its similar to going to a larger spark plug wire. Larger means lower resistance per foot, which allows the electrical pulse to go through the wire easier. Really its not a huge deal, but for someone like me that is looking to squeeze every last little bit of power out of their car, it helps. Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTP091 Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 I did this on my car many moons ago and it's worth it if your running a large amplified stereo. Most factory wiring on your car will be 8gauge. If you do change over your wiring you have to do the entire circuit. If you leave one factory wire that will be your choke point and will restrict the rest of the system. I'd suggest using 4gauge for most cases but if your have a large system you'll want thicker gauge. I have 1/0 positive to my battery and 2/0 as ground because the battery is in the trunk. Makes it nice to hook up my amps with very short cables as I have a 1400 watts RMS draw. The factory ground locations are ok but you need to make sure there are not alot of grounds there already so you don't get alternator whine. I grounded to the body in the trunk via the strut tower, to the engine using a tranny bolt, to the unibody frame near the original battery location, and a ground at the alternator. I bought the 170amp iceburg alternator and need to make sure the current can get out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremerevolution Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 Just thought about something recently. Why do they call them the Big 3? I counted more than just three. Battery to block ground. Battery to chassis ground. Battery to starter. Battery to accessory fuse block. Alternator? I haven't replaced my alternator wiring yet, but I have replaced all of the others. I have a feeling 4 gauge is enough for for that alternator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSI_MuNkY Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 Just saying... near as I can tell my car already has 4ga in place... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTP091 Posted May 22, 2010 Report Share Posted May 22, 2010 The big three is alternator to battery, battery to chassis, and chassis to engine. It's the main three wires needed to get best performance out of your charging system for large stereo systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted May 22, 2010 Report Share Posted May 22, 2010 I used to always call it the BIG 5. because if you want the best you will do 5 or 6 big wires. 6th being alt to amp. but you can get away with 5 if you were like me and had 2 batteries. then the 5th would be simply the alt to battery isolator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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